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Walk in the Shadows
Chapter 1 Prussia staggered as he desparately tried to get up. He coughed and blood sprayed from his mouth and onto the grass. "Heh...West sure would be upset to see me right now," the red-eyed man thought. He had fought with America, and had lost horribly. Prussia knew he was about to die, now that he had been dissolved as a nation. "I never got to say good-bye to everyone...heh...they'll probably only reject me, once America tells them I attempted to take his life," Prussia thought in growing pain as he collapsed onto the ground. No one was in view for the silver-haired man. Not even his beloved bird. "...I'm no longer Prussia now. I'm just Gilbert, the one who dared to be the best. I guess...even in death I'm not wanted..." Gilbert thought. A single tear fell from his eyes in realization. He did his best to keep his eyes open a little longer, but it was no use as a single thought entered his head. "This wasn't what I wanted." Izaya was surprised as he began to see red stains on the grass. He had taken a trip to the plains because he wanted to escape Shizou's wrath for one day, but he wasn't expecting bloodstains. "I wonder if someone's in trouble," Izaya wondered as he continued his walk. A few minutes later, he came upon a man possibly about his age with whitish-silver spiky hair and wore a blue military uniform of some sort. Blood stained the ground beneath him, and he was unconscious. "Whoa...I'd better get him to a hospital, then," decided Izaya. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Something was pecking at Gilbert's face. Lazily, he tried to swat it, wanting to fall back into unconsciousness, but the pecking persisted. Angry, he opened his ruby-red eyes. "WHO IS PECKING ME?!" he shouted. A tiny golden bird fluttered just in front of him, singing merrily. It was Gilbird. It took Gilbert a minute to realize he was alive. And to top it off, he was in slightly better condition than he had been in days. "Where am I?" the former country wondered. He was in some kind of building. It wasn't a hospital, but it had the feel of one. Suddenly, a nearby door opened, and Gilbert tensed. Had one of his enemies pretended to be his friend just for an easy kill? The door creaked open to reveal a young man much like Gilbert, but with dark brown, almost black, hair, dark brown eyes that looked blood red in the right light. He wore a black shirt, a brown fur coat that looked like it belonged on one of Antartica's eskimos, black pants and sneakers. "I'm glad to see you're awake. I thought you might not have made it," the man greeted. "Who are you?" Gilbert asked. "My name is Izaya Orihara. Yours?" Izaya asked, walking into the room. "...Gilbert," Gilbert responded after a moment. "Gilbert, huh? It sounds like you come from a different country," Izaya commented. "Yeah. I come from...from Europe," Gilbert responded. Izaya smirked. "Listen, why don't you stay with me and my friends for a while? We could use a new guy," he offered. "You'll let me stay?" Gilbert asked in surprise. "Of course. They have some rooms open," Izaya informed. Gilbert hesitated, then nodded. "Okay." Chapter 2 Gilbert and Izaya were chatting away when a knock on the door on the door caught their attention. "It's open!" Izaya called. Shinra entered the room, his eyes gleaming bright. "Hey, Izaya! So, is our patient doing well?" he asked. "It appears so," Izaya responded. Shinra nodded. "By the way, I'm Shinra. I helped patch you up, just so you know," he greeted Gilbert. "...my name is Gilbert," Gilbert greeted, slightly coldly. Shinra winced slightly at Gilbert's voice. "Izaya, I'll leave you to look after him. I promised Celty I'd spend some time with her," the doctor ordered, heading out of the room. Both Izaya and Gilbert were silent, until Izaya spoke up. "Hey, Gilbert, do you want to have some fun?" *~*~*~*~*~* Meanwhile, Shizuo, Tom and a certain Asian nation were eating at a resturant. "It was pretty nice of you to treat us to lunch, Kiku-san," Tom commented. "It was nothing, Tom-san," Kiku responded. Shizuo frowned. "It's been quiet. Where is that flea?" he muttered. "Shizuo-san, it is not healthy to be worrying so much," Kiku reminded. "Izaya's probably taking a break from pestering you," Tom suggested. Kiku's gaze wandered over to the windows on the far side of the resturant and nearly choked on his fries. "Kiku-san? Are you okay?" Tom asked. Kiku swallowed quickly and blinked. His eyes were not deceiving him. Standing in front of the window in front of the resturant was Izaya Orihara (which did not surprise Kiku at this point, considering Izaya's personality), and Gilbert, wearing the same outfits. The two men were sticking their tongues out at Shizuo, looking quite pleased with themselves. "Kiku, what is it?" Shizuo asked. Kiku pointed at the window and Shizuo looked. "IZAAYAAAAA!" the blonde shouted, darting outside and at the two. Izaya and Gilbert ran away, enjoying the chase. Kiku and Tom sighed. "Here we go again," Tom muttered. *~*~*~*~*~* Izaya and Gilbert were running away from whatever Shizuo threw at them. "This is fun!" Gilbert cheered. "I do this pretty much every day~!" Izaya reminded Gilbert. "Wow! You're pretty lucky, Izaya!" Gilbert commented, moments before the two split up at an intersection. Without slowing down, Shizuo darted after Gilbert, much to Izaya's surprise. "Darn. I thought Shizuo would chase after me," he pouted. *~*~*~*~*~* Meanwhile, Gilbert was expertly evading Shizuo's wrath, almost as skilled as Izaya himself. Almost. A large signpost struck the ground just inches in front of Gilbert. He didn't even get a chance to swerve out of the way of said signpost as he tripped and fell over it. "Ow!" Gilbert muttered, wincing in pain. Shizuo walked until he stood over Gilbert, and was surprised. "You...you're not the flea," he realized. "If by flea you mean Izaya, I'm not him. My name is Gilbert," Gilbert spat. Shizuo sighed. "Sorry about that, Gilbert-san," he apologized. With an angry sigh, Gilbert got up and walked away from Shizuo. It was only when Gilbert was hidden by shadows did he hear footsteps behind him. "Prussia, is that really you?" The former nation turned around and saw Japan. He was not the awkward man around Tom and Shizuo. Instead, he was proud, strong and elegant, a nation to be feared and respected. "What now?" Gilbert hissed. "Why are you here? America-san told us you had died fighting him," Japan asked. "Well, it's obvious I didn't," Gilbert shot back. Japan winced slightly. "Everyone has missed you back home. Germany hasn't gotten any sleep looking for any sign you could be alive. Please, Prussia, come back," he pled. "My nation ceased to exist the moment it was taken away! I won't go back! Not unless I have my land!" Gilbert shouted, dashing away from Japan. Japan sighed. "Germany wouldn't like to know what's happened..." Izaya looked at Japan from afar, horrified. "Was I...was I supposed to hear all that?" he wondered, frightened. *~*~*~*~*~* Meanwhile, Germany shivered as a cold breeze brushed past him. Autumn was coming, but something dark was on that wind. The blonde nation and England were on their way to a meeting called by America. France had joked at America's expense that it was about hamburgers. "Hmmm? Something wrong, Germany?" England asked. "...England, do you ever get the feeling something bad is about to happen?" Germany asked. England sighed. "I get that feeling whenever a war is about to happen. More specifically, wars that involve more than one nation," he responded. "Well, it's just my luck I have that feeling at the moment," Germany admitted. "It's different for every nation. Perhaps something even bigger than a war is about to happen," England suggested. "What could be bigger than a war?" Germany wondered. England shuddered. "A disaster," he muttered, half in response, half to himself. Chapter 3 Shinra entered his house, Celty following. The two looked elated. "That was fun~!" Shinra declared. "should have seen your face when we nearly crashed." Celty typed, slightly amused. Shinra pouted, "It's not my fault you nearly crashed into a truck!" as he walked over to the couch. Much to his surprise, he saw Gilbert on the couch, asleep. "Huh...he must have stayed here while Izaya went out," Shinra guessed. Celty shook her head. "They went out for a wile. I guess Gilbert got tired at one point." she assumed. Gilbert opened one ruby red eye. "What now?" he asked. "Ah, you're awake. Any pain?" Shinra asked. "No. I've been relatively okay," Gilbert responded. Izaya entered the room, looking slightly annoyed. "Hey, Izaya," Shinra greeted. Izaya greeted Shinra with a nod. "Gilbert, that was no fair getting Shizou's attention all to yourself," the informant pouted. "He mistook me for you," Gilbert informed. Izaya sighed. "Shinra, Celty, I'd appreciate it if you two would go away for a moment. I need to talk to Gilbert in private," he asked. Shinra and Celty nodded, stunned by Izaya's seriousness, and they left the room. The moment Izaya was sure they were out of hearing range, he glared at Gilbert. "What?" Gilber asked. "Who was that you were speaking to?" Izaya questioned, angrily. "Why does it matter?" Gilbert muttered. "There are dangerous people in Ikebukuro and Shibuya, Gilbert. Who was it you talked to?" Izaya repeated. "An old pal of mine," Gilbert simply responded. "Oh, really? Why was he calling you Prussia?" Izaya challenged. Gilbert stiffened. "I knew it. Something's up. What's going on?" Izaya questioned. Gilbert sighed wearily. "You're probably not going to believe me, but..." he began. "What? What is it?" Izaya pestered. "I'm not exactly human. I once represented the nation of Prussia. The man I was talking to was the personification of Japan," Gilbert admitted. Izaya only blinked. "I was once part of a group of people that represented the nations, be they America or France, South Korea or Belarus, even micro-nations like Sealand and Seborga. We weren't truly human, in a sense. Once my land was made part of Germany, I lost my rank as a nation, but I fought America and lost," Gilbert explained, memories haunting his gaze. "So you personified Prussia...?" Izaya clarified. "Yes. Happy now? I spilled the secrets I wanted to keep," Gilbert spat. "No, actually. I had no idea..." Izaya broke off. Gilbert sighed. "When I was declared part of East Germany, I was upset beyond words. I wanted land for my people, but...now I'm just Gilbert, the man who's durable beyond words," he admitted. "Can't you go back to the other nations and ask that Prussia be restored?" Izaya asked. Gilbert snorted. "You sound like one of those people who thinks the world is so simple. Here's how it works: Prussia was dissolved years ago. Unless some miracle happens and I'm restored to my rank as a nation, I'm basically some sort of super human," he hissed. Izaya was speechless. "Then stay here, in Ikebukuro. There are plenty of weird people," he urged. Gilbert closed his eyes. "I'll think about it. Just...leave me be right now," he ordered. Izaya nodded and headed outside. Gilbert stared at the ceiling. "What am I going to do..." he murmured. *~*~*~*~*~* Meanwhile, with the nations, every nation that was personified was there. America and Japan stood at the front of the room, serious as ever. "Thank you all for coming. Japan has revealed to me that he found Prussia," America explained, simply. Germany stood up. "This has better not be a trick, America, Japan," he snapped. "It isn't. It's the truth. I found him wandering in Ikebukuro just today," Japan confirmed. America frowned gravely. "We have to go find him. We can't let him waste his life," he decided. "Who will go?" China asked. "China, England and France will scout for any signs Prussia's homesick. Germany, Austria, Hungary and I will go confront him if I feel he wants to come back," America decided. "And if he doesn't want to go back?" England questioned. America sighed. "I don't know, England. I don't know," he admitted. Chapter 4 Shinra and Celty cautiously entered the room. Izaya had been rather quiet talking to Gilbert, but now they had gotten too curious for their own good. "Gilbert? You still there?" Shinra cautiously asked. Celty looked at the couch and saw that Gilbert was asleep again, and was hugging the pillow to his face. "asleep." Celty reported. Shinra nodded. "Let's just leave him be. I think he's too tired to do anything," he suggested. Celty would have sighed if she could, and typed out, "but should I stay to keep an eye on him?" Shinra shook his head, and the two headed outside. What the two failed to notice was that Gilbert was crying into his pillow. *~*~*~*~*~* Meanwhile, China was walking through the streets of Ikebukuro, looking for Prussia. "I wonder if I stand out? I look similar enough to Japan, so I shouldn't cause too much trouble..." he wondered. China was dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and had a aqua-colored sweatshirt on. For him, he was dressed quite plainly compared to how he normally dressed. "Don't give yourself away. We aren't supposed to let the world know their nations are personified, and I have a feeling they won't react well," England had ordered. "He could have at least let me wear clothes I consider normal," China muttered. "Hey, are you lost, sir?" China turned around to see a kid that had to be in high school, with blonde hair, brown eyes, and wore a school uniform of some sort. "Ah, no. I was just looking for a friend of mine," the brown-haired nation responded. "Ah. I'm Kida Masaomi. It's nice to meet you," Kida greeted China. "I'm Wang Yao," Yao greeted. At once, the sound of destruction reached the two's ears. Yao turned around to see a man eerily simliar to Prussia running from some guy that looked like a bartender. "Prussia?" Yao wondered. "IZAYAAAAA! GET BACK HERE YOU FLEA!" the bartender shouted at the top of his lungs. Yao frowned, wondering if Prussia had changed his name. *~*~*~*~*~* Gilbert was running. He didn't know what or who he was running from, but voices shouted at him from everywhere, telling him to run. "What am I running from!" Gilbert shouted to no one. Suddenly, the ground gave way under his feet. Gilbert screamed in fear. "OI! Gilbert, wake up!" Gilbert opened his eyes to see a faint image hovering over him. "Holy...Rome?" he breathed. "Prussia, are you sure this is the life you want? This is a town filled with danger, and Izaya isn't the safest person to hang out with," the faint spirit questioned. "I don't belong with the nations. I lost my land long ago. I am no longer a nation," Gilbert muttered. The spirit chuckled. "You would be surprised, my friend," he murmured before vanishing. Gilbert closed his eyes. "If only it were that easy." *~*~*~*~*~* Back with the other nations, Hungary was staring at the floor, sadness in her gaze. "Hungary? Are you okay?" Liechtenstein asked. Hungary nodded. "I just wonder if Prussia's still okay," she admitted. "I have a feeling he is," Liechtenstein admitted. "Besides," Austria remarked, "he's like a flea. He's nigh impossible to get rid of, and when he's not around, you end up thinking about him." Hungary chuckled sadly. "Indeed," she agreed. Slgihtly more cheerfully, Austria added, "Plus, nations just don't go away like that at Prussia's age. He's still around, Hungary. I know it." Germany, overhearing the conversation, lowered his head. "Prussia, my brother, just wait. I will come for you soon." Chapter 5 Yao frowned as he wandered Ikebukuro. "Aiyahh. I lost track of that bartender and the Izaya person," he thought in frustration. The brown-haired nation came to a stop on a sidewalk, trying to figure where he was. Japan wasn't bigger than China, but it was still a large place to get lost in. "Russian Sushi! Come try our sushi!" Yao's ears instantly recognized a mix of a Russian and a Japanese accent. He turned around to see a dark-skinned man with dark eyes and wore a slightly more traditional outfit for Japan. "Amazing! Such a mix of diverse cultures!" Yao thought in surprise. Walking up to the man, and remembering how to speak Russian, Yao asked, "Excuse me sir, I'm looking for a friend of mine. Have you seen the man in this photograph?" while holding up a picture of Gilbert. The man looked at the photo and nodded. "Yes. You will find him near the park," he advised. Yao nodded and put the picture back in his pocket. "Thank you, sir," he thanked, bowing and hurrying off to the park. *~*~*~*~*~* With Izaya, he was hanging out near the park, recovering from the latest fight with Shizuo. "It's not as fun without Gilbert," he muttered. A new set of footsteps rushed into hearing, and Izaya turned around, expecting Shizuo. Instead, he saw a young man possibly older than him with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, brown eyes, and a rather casual outfit, heading towards the park. Izaya smirked. "Ikebukuro gets more and more interesting by the day," he thought in joy. The new guy noticed Izaya and dashed towards him. "...and he's possibly another Shizuo," Izaya thought, about to run. "Wait! Don't run, please!" the man pled, hurrying up to Izaya. "What is it?" Izaya asked, ready to run if need be. "Are you Gilbert Beilschmidt?" the man asked. Izaya stiffened. "I know the name Gilbert..." he admitted. "So are you him or not?" the man pestered. Izaya sighed. "No. I do know where he is, though," he responded. "Where?" the man asked. Izaya took out a small piece of paper and wrote down an adress, soon handing it to the mysterious man. "This is where he's residing. He was resting when I last visited him," the dark-haired informant informed. The man nodded and darted off. *~*~*~*~*~* With Gilbert, he was wandering Ikebukuro. "I'm bored beyond belief! Wonder if anything fun will happen," he muttered. As if the words summoned it, a large trashcan struck the ground next to Gilbert. "Not again," Gilbert groaned. "IZAYAAA!" Shizuo shouted, charging at Gilbert. "I'm not Izaya, I'm Gilbert!" the silver-haired man complained. Shizuo stopped and stared at Gilbert. "Whoops. Sorry," he apologized, heading away. Gilbert facepalmed. "Geez, he's an IDOT," he muttered. *~*~*~*~*~* With the other nations, America was waiting for a report from China. His cellphone soon rang, and he quickly answered it. "Hello?" America asked. "I got a lead on his whereabouts!" China reported. "Where is he?" America asked. "Somewhere in Ikebukuro. I'll call when I find him!" China responded, hanging up. "We got new info on him!" America shouted, standing up. "Where is he?" Sealand asked. "Somewhere in Ikebukuro, Japan!" America responded. That helped soothe some of the nations' fears. "He's alive. Thank gott," Germany murmured, closing his eyes. "However..." America began. "Vhat? Vhat is it?!" Germany asked, opening his eyes. "China didn't give me his condition. For all we know, he could be in danger," America reminded. Germany gritted his teeth. "I'll slay the man who attacked my brother!" he spat. North Italy whimpered. "Germany, calm down. It's more than likely Prussia is alive, but we can't be sure until we hear directly from China and/or get a message from Prussia himself," France reminded. America nodded in agreement. "England, you go next to look for Prussia," he ordered. The thick-eyebrowed nation nodded and headed out the door. "Now, let's hope we can find out his condition before something goes wrong," America hoped. Chapter 6 It was late evening before Yao found his way to Shinra's place. Sunset cast its dying rays across Ikebukuro. "It's such a quiet place near sunset," Yao noticed, knocking the door. Shinra quickly answered the door. "Oh, hello?" the doctor asked. "Hello, I'm looking for the man in this picture. Is he here?" Yao asked, holding up a picture of Gilbert. Shinra looked closely and raised an eyebrow. "He's supposed to be staying, but he went out earlier," he responded. Yao nearly facepalmed. "Okay. Where would he be?" he asked. "Wandering around Ikebukuro," Shinra responded. "Okay, thank you," Yao thanked, walking away. Shinra closed the door, and Yao let out a long sigh. Quietly, he muttered, "Dang it, Prussia! Stay in one place, we don't know what may happen to you if something bad happens!" *~*~*~*~*~* With England, he was walking around Ikebukuro, looking for Prussia. "It's rather peaceful around here," he noticed. At once, a loud roar tore through the air. England leapt in surprise and looked at the street. A large black motorcycle, its rider in black except for the odd kitty helmet, tore down the street. England stared at in surprise. "Japan didn't tell me that he had mythical creatures as well besides those two from the hot springs! Unless...anyone else can see it...?" he wondered in shock. The motorcycle roared past England and vanished down the street. "Whoa...is it just me who saw that creature?" he wondered, quietly. Chapter 7 Celty slowed down at a corner and came to a halt. She felt as though she was being followed. "E-Excuse me? Miss?" Celty jumped and turned around. A tall, blonde man with green eyes and thick eyebrows, wearing a dark green sweatshirt, jeans and loafers, was behind her. "are you and what do you want with me?" Celty asked. "I'm Arthur Kirkland, and…to be honest, when I saw you, I thought I was the only one who could see you," the man admitted. "me? What are you talking about?" Celty typed out. "Well…you're free to call me weird for this, but…normally, with my friends, I'm the only one who can see supernatural creatures," Arthur responded. Celty began shaking, overcome by amusement. "M-Miss! Are you okay?" Arthur asked. "fine! It's just that I've never heard of someone who can see supernatural creatures when they don't let other people see them!" Celty managed to type out. "Well, that explains a lot. So you allow yourself to be seen by others?" Arthur asked. "no. I'm a Dullahan, and we don't have too much control over who sees us or not." Celty admitted. "A Dullahan! Are you Celty?" Arthur suddenly asked. "depends on who's asking." Celty typed. Before Arthur could explain further, Celty's phone rang with a new text. Celty quickly checked. Big news! I got info that the Slasher is planning to roam the streets tonight! We have to stop the Slasher before it attacks anyone! read the text from Izaya. Celty froze. "Miss?" Arthur asked. "Kirkland, but I just got a job. Catch you later, and stay off the streets tonight!" Celty advised before driving off. *~*~* Night had fallen when Celty decided to stop at the park. A glimpse of silver in a tree caught her attention. Walking up to the tree, she typed, "get down from there. You're as plain as day with your hair and eye color." A moment later, Gilbert climbed down the tree. "do you think you're doing? Didn't Izaya or Shinra tell you there's a Slasher in Ikebukuro?" Celty asked. "I got bored hanging around that apartment. Besides, I doubt the Slasher could take me down," Gilbert boasted. Celty slapped Gilbert, then typed, "are an idiot! This is not your normal unintelligent murderer! This is a monster beyond common sense!" "I don't care! I was abandoned by those I thought of as friends long ago! I'd gladly fight the Slasher!" Gilbert shouted. A sudden chill filled the area. Gilbert looked around him. "What was that?" he asked. Celty shuddered. What was going on? Rapidly, she texted Izaya, check the chat rooms! NOW! *~*~* Izaya paced around the room, nervously. His phone rang, and Izaya answered it. A text from Celty. Izaya muttered the words of the text, then ran over to his computer to enter the chat room for the Dollars. To his relief, only Taro Tanaka was on. Rapidly, Izaya asked on the computer, that troll come yet? Taro responded with, Why? heard the Slasher is going to strike tonight, and I want to be sure, Izaya admitted. The Slasher? Izaya rolled his eyes. the magic fairy of Arbor Day. YES, the Slasher! just wanted to be sure. Rumors have been flying around for a while. At once, the user that Izaya had dreaded coming online appeared. Saika. Izaya hissed something under his breath, then texted Celty, just came on! Careful! *~*~* Izaya's text came a second too late. Hundreds of Saika wielders flooded into the park, unarmed. "Who are these people?!" Gilbert questioned Celty. Celty gave the silver-haired man a warning gesture, then drew her scythe. "Holy…" Gilbert gasped. A dark-haired woman approached Celty. "do you want? One of your members stabbed me and I wasn't turned into your puppet, so what do you want?" Celty typed. The woman's face forced itself into a sneer. "Nation…Prussia…kill…" she hissed. Celty glanced over at Gilbert. Gilbert guiltily looked away. "the only one else here that's neutral in Ikebukuro, Gilbert. Or, should I say, Prussia?" Celty asked. Gilbert snorted. "My land was made part of Germany's long ago. I am not Prussia, not without my land," he retorted. "you are one of those "Nations" I heard about. How about you show me what you can do on the battlefield?" Celty typed, readying her scythe. Gilbert nodded, reading a knife he borrowed/stole from Izaya. *~*~* Meanwhile, France had decided to go to Ikebukuro, worried about China and England. "Like we said to the other two, do not reveal you are a nation. And if worse comes to worse, we'll find a new France in your place," America had decided, much to Germany's chagrin and annoyance. "I hope those two are okay," France muttered. A high school-aged boy suddenly rushed past France. "What the…" France began. "Sorry, sir! Gotta help a friend!" the boy called over his shoulder. France sighed. "Japan should have warned me there were such rude children in his country," he muttered. *~*~* With China, he was growing weary of going around Ikebukuro on false leads. "Aiyahh! Whatever they're planning to do with him, it had better be worth the trouble I'm going through!" he complained. His phone suddenly rang, and he answered. "Nihao, this is Yao Wang," he greeted. "China! I found out something terrible is about to happen! Go and try to find Prussia quickly!" England called. "I've been looking for him all day!" China protested. "Just hurry!" England shouted before hanging up. China frowned and hurried off into the night. Chapter 8 Mikado was running as fast as he could towards the park. He had been sent a text that the Slasher was in the park--and the Headless Rider had been spotted there. "tell me that the Headless Rider is the Slasher!" he had texted back as a joke, but the text back he had gotten was far more serious. "isn't a joke. Just as a favor, can you please check to see if the rumors are true?" So now, Mikado was out in Ikebukuro looking for the park. "Hey!" Mikado came to a jarring halt and turned around. Whoops, it was the blonde man he had run into from before. "What are you doing out so late?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of a French accent. "Oh! Sorry, sir, I was just looking for a friend," Mikado apologized. The man sighed. "Why? Did your friend get into an accident?" he asked. "No, but there's a Slasher around this town, and my friend is in danger...oh, it's too hard to explain!" Mikado groaned. "Then I'll go with you," the man decided. Mikado began to complain, then sighed. "Fine," he muttered, leading the man towards the park. *~*~*~* China soon arrived at a place in front of the park. Many different people were there, much to his surprise. "Great. I'll never find him at this rate," he muttered. Something at once collided with him, followed by something else, knocking him over. "What was that for?!" China indignatly complained. "Sorry!" China looked over his shoulder to see England on top of him and some high school-aged boy with blonde hair and brown eyes. "What are you doing, Arthur?!" China shouted, angrily. "Sorry, Yao, I was just running from this weirdo!" Arthur responded, pointing at the kid. "But I wanna touch your eyebrows..." the kid complained. "And I said NO!" Arthur reminded. Yao got up, and brushed the dirt off him. "Who are you, anyways?" he asked the mysterious person. "I'm Kida Masaomi, and I got a text from an informant that a slasher and the Headless Rider are in the park tonight, so I came to make sure none of my friends are near the park," the boy responded, getting off Arthur. "I'm Wang Yao, and the man you ran into is Arthur Kirkland," Yao informed. Kida bowed in greeting. "Out of the waaaaaay!" The three guys turned to see a boy colliding with Kida. "Agh! Mikado!" Kida complained. "Sorry!" the boy apologized. Just behind Mikado was France. "What are you doing here, Francis?" Yao questioned. "I'm looking for Gilbert!" Francis informed. "So are we, but we aren't picking random strays!" Arthur reminded. "Then what would you call Kida?" Yao questioned the British man. "Will all of you guys shut up?!" Kida shouted. The three bickering men fell silent. "It's apparent that our friends might be involved with whatever is going on in the park, so I vote that we team up for the time beign until we manage to get our pals out safely," Kida proposed. "...as much as I don't like the idea, I have to agree," Francis admitted. *~*~*~* Meanwhile, Izaya was looking around for Shizuo. He of all people could avoid being taken over by Saika. "Oh, Shizu-chan~!" Izaya called. A large trash can smashed the ground right next to him. "Izayaaaaaaaa!" Perfect. The famed blonde walked up to Izaya, peeved as ever. "What are you doing around Ikebukuro, you flea?" he hissed. "Shizuo, I need your help. Someone I know is about to face off against the slasher with the Headless Rider," Izaya admitted. Shizuo snorted. "Like I'm going to believe that," he sneered. "Shizuo, you need to believe me this time! This is a life-or-death situation here!" Izaya shouted. Shizuo glared at Izaya for a few moments more, then sighed. "Fine. But this had better not be a waste of my time." *~*~* With Gilbert and Celty, they had began fighting the Saikas. Gilbert was stabbing as many people as he could, while Celty was swinging her scythe haphazardly. "Geez. There sure are a lot of these guys," Gil noted. "That's because they possess someone by slashing or stabbing them. They must want you pretty badly," Celty informed. Gilbert snorted. "Just because I'm immortal?" he asuumed. "It seems so," Celty confirmed. The former nation sighed. "Immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, you can't be killed off so easily, you don't get sick...heck, you can't even die. But seeing so many people die while you get the honor of living...it's just not right..." *~*~* Meanwhile, America's phone rang. "S'up?" he asked, answering it. "Alfred, we have a situation on our hands! Gilbert, we think, might be killed by a Slasher!" China's voice burst from the phone. "Dude, why are you calling me by my human name?" America asked. "Gee, do you think I shouldn't be, given our current situation?!" China questioned, angrily. America facepalmed. Of course, China had to be surrounded by humans. "Okay, just do what you can to save him and bring him back here, hopefully in one piece," the blonde nation ordered. China hung up at that moment, leaving America to worry. Chapter 9 Gilbert was not having fun, to say the least. The Saika Army was a greater foe than he had expected, having so many people on its side. This was worse than World War II, even. However, he did not have the time to be thinking about the past. He had a battle to fight. Gilbert continued to stab the members of the Saika army, his face grim. "Are you holding up alright, Gilbert?" Celty asked. "Yeah!" Gilbert responded, looking over his shoulder. Celty was doing okay, but she did not seem like she could keep this up forever. "This can't go on forever. There aren't enough Saika copies to go on like this," she commented. Gilbert nodded, and a wry look appeared in his eyes. "There are so many people here, I'm surprise if Saika is actually a nation," he commented. "Save the jokes for later," Celty muttered, swinging her scythe again. "Gilbert!!" Gilbert looked in front of him to see France, China and England storm to the Saika army. France had his rapier in hand, China with his woks, and England with a spell book. "Fran…Francis! Yao! Arthur!" Gilbert shouted. Celty turned around, and seemed surprised. "More of your friends, Prussia?" she asked. "Gilbert, don't tell me you told her the secret!" England shouted, flipping to a page in his spell book. "We'll settle that later! We've got an army to fight!" Gilbert yelled, annoyed. China nodded and smacked a Saika clone with his wok, knocking his opponent backwards. "Aiyahh. Gilbert, why do you make so many enemies?" the brown-haired nation questioned. "Don't blame me!" Gilbert shouted, continuing to fight. "Rain down on those who defy you! Fire of the Heavens!" England chanted, raising a hand. Fire burst from it and collided with more Saika copies. France slammed the bottom of his rapier into another clone's forehead, then kicked another one as it tried to get near him. "Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but I prefer to remain a virgin until I truly find someone I like," the blonde nation teased. Gilbert backed up from where he stood until he stood back-to-back with France. "Glad you came, pal. Me and Celty couldn't handle all of them by ourselves," the silver-haired nation panted. "Hmph. The almighty Prussia, who took Austria's vital regions singlehandedly, now has to rely on another of the Bad Touch Trio for battle support? Next thing you know, you'll need Spain to cook your food for you," France scoffed. "I'm not that old yet!" Prussia complained. "Of course…this is a lot like HetaOni, isn't it?" France asked. Prussia swallowed hard. "Let's not bring that up right now. I just don't want those memories reminding me of what I've done wrong." France observed the battle. China and Celty were doing a marvelous job of fighting side-by-side, but both were starting to tire. "None of us will be able to keep up this fight for long. Any aces up your sleeves?" he asked. "Nope. You?" Prussia asked. France shook his head. "We're both scr-" "Everybody OUT OF THE WAY if you value your lives!" Prussia and France looked to see Izaya running towards them. "Izaya, what's going on?" Prussia asked. "Gilbert, you and your friends need to get out of the way, now. Remember Shizuo?" Izaya questioned. "Tall, blonde and idiotic? Yeah, why?" "Let's just say…vending machine." Prussia's eyes widened. "Celty! Yao! Arthur! Move!" he shouted, running from the Saika Army. Celty, China, France, England and Izaya all followed him as a large vending machine was hurled at the Saika Army and collided with several people there. "Holy…that was a vending machine, right? Right?" England asked. "Yup. Looks like our ace in the hole has arrived," Izaya responded. Shizuo approached the army, looking mightily ticked. "Well, if it isn't the Saika group. You're all much bigger and stupider than I remember," he commented. "Join us, Shizuo!" someone called, and the Saika Army erupted into calling similar phrases. "Shut up! I'm just fine being under my own will. If you guys want me so bad, then come on and fight me!" Shizuo shouted. Several members looked scared of the idea of fighting him, evidenced by them stepping back. "Go on and run, cowards! Just don't let me catch you!!" Shizuo threatened, throwing off his sunglasses. A bloodthirsty look appeared in his eyes. "And now approximately half the Saika army is doomed," Izaya noted. "That's a good thing, right?" France asked. "As long as you're not a Saika clone, yes," Izaya responded. Shizuo snarled loudly as he charged at the Saika army, driving them away. "Well, that was an evening oddly spent," China remarked. "say," Celty agreed. "Prussia!" Prussia facepalmed as America ran up to him. "You idiot!" he snapped at America. "Sorry, dude!" America apologized. *~*~*~* "So that's what's happened…" Izaya realized. He, the nations, Celty, Shizuo, Mikado, Anri, Shinra and Kida were gathered at Izaya's place, where Prussia, China, England, France and America had explained what happened. Prussia's head was lowered, and no expression was easily seen on his face. "So he's no longer a nation, right? Someone can take custody of him?" Mikado asked. "Well, yes and no to both questions. He's a fully-grown adult in both human terms and nation terms. He can take care of himself, but considering how desperately he wanted land, he'll have to be taken custody of," America admitted. "He is technically a lost nation. He has no land, but people continue to think of themselves as part of Prussia. Until that day comes where he has no people who think of themselves as Prussian and he ceases to live, he continues to exist in a sort of physical limbo," China explained. "Wow…" Mikado murmured. "You know, I just realized how different you guys seem when you're not acting like humans," Kida commented. "It's hard to explain to humans about us. Some can't accept the fact we represent their land and people, some can. Shizuo, I believe you and someone have met the one who represents Japan already, right?" America asked. Shizuo thought for a moment, then facepalmed. "Kiku is Japan, isn't he?" he asked. "Yup. Not as old as me, but just as wise," China responded. "seems so fantasy-like…the nations we know so well as people in front of us," Celty commented. "It seems like nothing is truly just normal in Ikebukuro," Shinra joked. Looking at Prussia, Izaya asked, "So what will happen to him now?" "Well, about that-" Prussia stood up. "America, why didn't you just kill me the time I attempted to take your land?" he questioned. "Well, if you'd just let me finish…" America began. "Just kill me already! Germany wouldn't want a brother who couldn't win a battle!" Prussia shouted. He swiped America's pocket, closed his eyes, and held the item up to his head. To his surprise, he felt paper beneath his grip. "Yeah, Prussia? It's pretty hard to kill someone with paper without a Devil Fruit," America teased. Prussia opened his eyes and unfolded the paper. "As of this date, blah, blah, blah…New Prussia?" he repeated. "Yup. Welcome back, Gilbert," America greeted. Prussia slumped to his knees, tearing up. "Mein gott…" he murmured. "New Prussia?" Kida asked America. "It was made official today. Now you have no reason to kill yourself, Prussia," the blonde nation teased Prussia. *~*~*~* The give nations soon were about to board a helicopter. The ones who knew the secret of the strange visitors were allowed to see them off. "Well, it's been fun, but we need to get back home. Germany's waiting for us," England informed. "a safe journey, and watch out for Saika clones!" Celty advised. "Come back to Ikebukuro anytime! Well, unless Shizuo and Izaya are fighting again," Kida invited. "Hey!" Shizuo complained. Izaya walked up to Prussia. "Go home safely. You have a family and some friends that are worried about you, and now that you're a nation, you shouldn't be making people worry," the informant reminded. Prussia nodded, a smile on his face. "Thanks. Izaya, try not to get into so much trouble with Shizuo, and learn to love, okay? It isn't fun being without a wife all your life," he advised. "You loved someone, Gil?" Kida asked. Prussia nodded, eyes growing thoughtful for once. "It was a long time ago, but now I know she can't love me. Hungary already has Austria," he murmured the last part. "Hmmm?" "Nothing, just the ramblings of an old nation," Prussia responded. The nations boarded the helicopter. "I can't wait to see Italy again. The little guy probably gained some courage while I was gone," Prussia commented. "Prussia, you were gone for a few days! He wouldn't be courageous in a hundred years!" France pointed out. "Don't make fun of him! Geez, you guys are mean!" China joked. *~*~*~*~* Germany heard a knock on the conference room door. He, Japan, Russia and Italy were eagerly waiting for news about Prussia. "It's open!" Italy called. The door opened, revealing Prussia, America, England, France and China, all weary but none worse for the wear. "…brother!" Germany shouted, running up to Prussia. "West!" Prussia shouted, hugging his brother. "Don't ever leave me alone again!" Germany cried. "Kesesesesese! West, you're such a chicken!" Prussia teased, ruffling the blonde's hair. "Stop, idiot! We aren't kids anymore!" Germany complained. "Aw, come on! You loved it when I ruffled your hair!" Prussia laughed. "I'm not a little kid anymore! You're an idiot, Prussia!" Germany shouted. "Hug time!" Italy ran up to hug Prussia, looking so happy. "Italy! You haven't grown!" Prussia teased. Hungary walked up to Prussia, just as happy as Italy. "Welcome home, Prussia," she greeted, hugging him. Prussia's eyes widened, then relaxed as he nodded. "Yeah. I'm home." Epilogue A few days later, Prussia and Germany were walking up to the meeting room. "You sure this will be okay?" Prussia asked. "Everything's okay. Everyone has heard the story, and no one can blame you for letting the secret slip," Germany responded. Prussia nodded. "Good. I just feel guilty about everything," he admitted, checking his pockets. He froze. "What?" Germany asked. "…crud. Crud! CRUD!" Prussia shouted, eyes wide with shock. "What? Prussia, what did you do?" Germany demanded to know. "…remember the little booklets we made to remind ourselves not to go near any creepy, abandoned mansions?" Prussia asked. Germany facepalmed. "You lost yours?!" he shouted. "Probably when I was running from America. At least it'll be lost among time now, right?" Prussia questioned. Germany sighed. "In a few days, we'll go back to Ikebukuro to make sure you didn't drop it there. Let's pray no one finds it before then," he decided. Prussia nodded. "Because that would lead to a disaster," he muttered. *~*~*~*~* Over in Ikebukuro, Izaya found a booklet on the ground. "HetaOni…" he read, curiously. Category:Teen Category:Phoenixfeather13TheSecond's Fanfics